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Newsletter 02/13 e

Dear customers

2012 has been quite eventful year. That's why we want to inform you about our past activities and how we want to proceed.

Thanks for your interest!Kind regards

Peter Müller

Historyfacts' Publications

After publication of the Michael Winninger's (St. Valentin, Austria) German Book Nibelungenwerk we arranged a professional translation by David Kosh. After that, and after serious technical problems that delayed the the publication several times, we finalized the book. The English language copy is available as OKH Toy Factory since mid january 2013. We are happy with the result.

Historyfacts provided some content to the production chapters of the book. These based on our research on the Mark IV Tank and its derivates, as well as on additional investigation on the production of Ferdinand and Jagdtiger.

We are now working on the German edition of Thomas Anderson's Vorwärts immer - Rückwärts nimmer, which will be published as "Sturmartillerie . Geschichte einer Waffengattung". Publishing is scheduled for June 2013. This is a three volume book:

Further are planned and in progress with Thomas Anderson:Volume II: AttackVolume III: Defence

Historyfacts' Reseaches

Our work on the publications "Tank Production in the Thrid Reich", "Panzerkampfwagen IV" und "Panzerkampfwagen Panther" are ongoing with good progess. In doing so we must note, that the hugh amount of information available uses our resources to the limit - more than searching missing document could do. We are sure, that doing a good job in screening, sorting, selecting and evaluating will be to our readers advantage.

On the Panzerkampfwagen IV topic, we are working together with Wolfgang Zimmermann, he himself is supported by Notger Schlegtendal; Working on the Panzerkampfwagen Panther is done with Edi Eberl und Frank Koehler. This integration of expertise in teams assures a broad, diversified base of the work and will give us verified results!

Historyfacts' Archive Activities

Beside working in official archives and in company's archives, our own archive is a worthwile and always available document collection. During the last year we were, by trading and as a result of many talks, in the position to further improve our archive's content - in quantity and quality:

We have now more than 1700 publications covering our topics at hand.The number of Microfilms at our own archive increased to more than 1200.By working together with a researcher at NARA, we are getting new, never published photographs and selected documents, that couldn't be found in other areas.

Especially advantageous circumstances allows us, to visit and work in a never used company archive. We got arranged the date and are looking forward to visiting that company. We will tell you more about that when it's time to...

We are trading documents, photographs and microfilms with other authors and private persons. We'd like to heartfully thank all these persons and institutions for working together with us! If you happen to have access to documents, photos that you think of possibly being of interest for Historyfacts, please contact us - many thanks!

Obituary: Thomas L. Jentz

Following an extended illness endured with courage and patience, Tom Jentz passed away end of December 2012. With his passing we have lost a technical writer and author whose lifework is impossible to overestimate! First collaborating with Walter Spielberger and the artist and researcher Hilary Doyle, then subsequently continuing to work with Doyle alone, Tom authored a number of standard works on the German Armored Troops, and on selected individual German tanks and vehicles of WWII. His doctrine was invariably that only documented facts should be published and all speculation excluded. These were the professional ethics he lived up to, creating in the process a comprehensive body of work with his own publication series "Panzer Tracts" – until poor health sadly denied him the opportunity of completing it entirely. Supported by a well-known author, Hilary Doyle will now continue and complete Tom’s work.

I knew Tom as a constructively critical contemporary with strong personal views. In discussions with him about the subject we both so enjoyed, he expressed his opinions in an unequivocal manner – particularly when they differed from my own. Having the possibility to measure oneself verbally and as a fellow author with someone on a par in my own specialist field was an opportunity simply too good to miss. Those discussions were highly enriching and I will remember them for ever!

Newsletter 10-11e

Dear Madam and Sir

Our previous period was burdened with very interersting publisher's work and our own historical researches, both with fine results:

Up to now we were provileged to publish four titles for external authors in German or/and English. We'd like to thank those authors for their reliance! This year we published Nibelungenwerk in German and "Vorwaerts immer - Rueckwaerts nimmer!" in English - the corresponding other language's editions will follow next year.

With our own historical research on the Panzerkampfwagen IV we were able to finish an important step: The production numbers of the three manufacturers are now available for our further work!

This comprehensive study is currently being printed in German and will be available beginning November 2011. The English translation is completed - publication under its final English title "OKH Toy Factory . The Nibelungenwerk: Tank Production in St. Valentin" is scheduled for the spring 2012.

20*28 cm, 376 pages, 320 photographs and illustrations, hardcover

For detailed information and reading samples in German.

Anderson, ThomasVorwärts immer - Rückwärts immer! . An Illustrated Guide to the History and Fate of the German Assault Artillery in WW II, Volume I

As earmaked in the beginning, we closed the research in the production- and acceptance numbers of the German Panzerkampfwagen IV and its derivates.

Why is that so important? Two reasons:

Assumed that a Tank Division was equipped with 50 vehicles of that type, it seems being obvious that having hundred more or less was important for the course of war - here we speach of historical relevant data.

It is important for researching the appearance of vehicles to know when a layout was replaced by its successor (and this relys directly on production orders and speed of manufacture). How else could the moment be fixed, when a feature was established? Documents alone are not sufficent, unfortunately - a deep understanding of the production process and its changes is benefical. Here of historical relevance is the moment when upgunning measures were available to the troop.

As far it can be told now and here: In miscellaneous point we come to other conclusions, even others as the most reowned aothors, and we are inclined to stand by our results! How can we dare? We are the first authors that systematically follow a vehicles path from devlopment / planning then production / acceptance to the final delivery to the troops.

It may sound trivial setting store by the statement, that it is not likely getting more vehicles to the troop than were sent from the armament depot - not likely getting more verhicles delivered to the armament depots than being accepted - not likely having more vehicles accepted than produced? Dare to recalculate at other publications... Fact is, that the documents of the armament depots, of the armament office, of the armament commandos and inspections are available relatively complete, while the documents of the manufacturers have some gaps in their alignments. If one understands the process shown above as a continuum, it is possible to fill the gaps in the documents' chains. As a historian you are bound to not only quote documents but to rate and interpret them! And this we are doing - not fancy but with dilligence. And if finally all available documents don't contradict anymore, the production numbers of all involved manufacturers add up smothly, the needed interpolations were more than likely. To that an example (taken from a draft introduction to our publication under progress):

The lost pilot-run series

There are several signs that indicate a pilot-run series existing, that is being hushed up in literature up to now.

It is not common with German armored vehicles, that the first series (Ausfuehrung A) is starting with a chassis number 80101 – though the cassis number batch 80001 – 80100 is missing in documents. There is one document mentioning chassis number 80000 [sic.].

Krupp-Gruson is known to have produced 13 tanks in 1937, the Ausf A in contrast starts with three in November to December 1937.

Documents show that Krupp-Gruson produced up to the end of its business year 30th September 1939 a total of 227 Panzerkampfwagen IV since the beginning. If summing up Ausf A (35 pc.), Ausf B (42 pc.), und Ausf C (140 pc., including chassis for bridge layer tanks), the result is a total of 217 vehicles, six of them accepted in October. Ausf D started in October 1939 , this also is documented – ten are missing.

The troop held 211 Vehicles at the outbreak of WWII; 197 at the Front troops, eleven at training and replacment untits and three with the armament depot. There are to be added the six not included chassis for bridge layer tanks that were held by WaPruef - totalizing at 217 vehicles per 1.9.1939. If we'd add the six Ausf C accepted in October we arrive at 223 vehicles - From that point of view too it is not sufficent to add Ausf A bis C only to come at the documented 227 vehicles.

There are troop reports that indicate the number of vehicles held by the troop at time. It is an interesting fact, that the totalized production / acceptance numbers seem to be lower than the troop held vehicles. Ausf A bis C are not nicht enough to give reason tor the troops' holdings:

Report date

period production / acceptance tothe end of the prior month

Total

Troop held number

Difference

1.1.1938

3

3

3

+-0

1.4.1938

21

24

30

-3

1.7.1938

19

43

46

-3

1.10.1938

27

70

76

-6

1.3.1939

71

141

137

+4

1.9.1939

70

211

211

+-0

These five evidences lead to our conclusion, that a pre-series run of ten vehicles must have taken place, chassis number batch 80001 – 80100, most likely with chassis numbers 80001 – 80010. Missing the pilot-run series in relevant documents alone is not sufficent to abnegate its existence, if - on the other hand - combining all known documents strongly suggest its presence.

Using new methodic approaches, taking new paths only might lead to new knowledge - thats our persuasion and that's what we do consequently to the benefit of our readers. By nature it is not our aim to getting other results as other authors - in the majority of cases our findings are the same as published in current literature - but our ambition is to come as near to thruth as possible nowadays. Where our deep researches bring up justified differences, we shall present them to our readers for further discussion.

A wish

Closing that newsletter, we would like to inform you about a concern of us:

Historyfacts is working hard in assembling information and writing books - a most serious research is always our aim. For that we need documents, photographs, plans, maps, magazines, company's newspapers and so on.

Your are interested in our topics and some of you do collect historical materials, photographs and documents of the World War I and II era.

If you happen to be a collector yourself or you'd know somebody as described, we would ask you to arrange a contact. Of particular interest are currently information on the Panzerkampwagen IV and its derivates.

Our heartful thanks for thinking about us!

Newsletter 10-10e

Dear customers!

We are happy to send you another newsletter. The topics are:

New publications

Forthcoming books

Distribution information

A request

Picture gallery "Bombers over Austria"

Your InfluenceShould you have ideas regading our products, further topics for newsletters or should you need information about us and our products, write us an email! Thanks in advance for your interest.

Best reagards out of SwitzerlandPeter Mueller

Historyfacts' new publications

The new books of this year are ready:

Denton, Mansal : Battle for Narva, 1944

This book is already published in English, a translation to German is in progress.

20*28 cm, 112 pages, 120 photographs and maps, hardcover

ISBN: 978-3-905944-01-3

Sales price:

CHF 44.50 EUR 29.00

Oberleitner, GerhardYou up there - We down here . Schoolboys deployed as Anti-Aircraft Gun Assistants

The German book is in print, the translation to English started some weeks ago.

Vorwärts immer, rückwärts nimmer! [Forward ever, rearward never]An illustrated Guide to History and Fate of the German Assault Artillery in WW II

The Sturmartillerie was extablished before outbreak of WW II as an integrative support arm of the infantry, which was far way from thorough mobility. Sturmgeschuetze - assault guns - turretless tanks armed with a 7,5 cm gun - should push forward the attack breaking any enemy resistance, destroying infantry guns, MG nests and bunkers. In the further course of the war the young service branch would have to stand the impetus of ever growing numbers of enemy tanks.

This book is the first of a series. Its purpose is to introduce this small, but remarkable service arm to the reader. Development and combat of of the first units in battery - scale and the later Sturmgeschütz battalions resp. brigades will be explained by photos, diagrams and colored artwork. The author turned his attention to the identification of Sturmartillerie units, markings and characteristics will be clarified wherever possible.

During his research the author relied only on sources found in German archives. Subjective recollections of veterans have been used to illustrate the nature of this service arm.

You up there - We down hereSchoolboys deployed as Anti-Aircraft Gun Assistant

In 1944, school classes were entirely deployed as anti-aircraft gun assistants to support the heavy Flak. These very young men were drilled at the 88-mm-Flak gun to support the soldiers of the Wehrmacht battling the allied bomber streams against Greater Germany. The missed school lessons were placed between fighting and training sessions, to complete the school's requirements. The experiences of the teen-agers, their non-political attitude and their courage of innocence are understandable very clearly. The author was one of the boys, that were deployed near St. Valentin, Austria, to protect the local tank works, the biggest of the Reich. He tells his experiences aptly and touchingly and places them in a bigger surrounding. He speaks also about hiding himself in Spring 1945 not to follow the contingent to join the Wehrmacht. A very impressive contemporary witness!

The author bases on its own diary that he wrote during the employment and on past war researches in Austrian and US archives. His personally affected reporting shows, how teenagers underwent the Second World War and their own mission and how they dodged with the incidents.

This study is progressed quite far, but needs some time for beeing finished. It will cover the whole process of tank devlopment, production planning and manufacturing up to te moment when the ordnance office takes over the tanks. It'll deal with questions of production logistics as well as with the question of raw material supply. So it can be used a a knowledge base for understanding tank production in Germany during that period as well for understanding armament processes themselves.

The "Plaything-Factory"History of the Nibelungen Tank Works in St. Valentin

The village St. Valentin, situated in the western part of Niederoesterreich was a growing and in the end very important armament production center in the Third Reich. The Nibelungenwerk was planned as the hughest and most modern tank production factory with big housing facilities for workers, this under the camouflage name "Plaything-Factory". Altough the building was hindered by many wartime restrictions, the Nibelungenwerk, during his production time 1941-1945, grow to the most important manufacturer of Panzerkampfwagen IV (German main battle tank). Nowadays in the remaining part of the Nibelungenwerk tractors are built.

Michael Winninger from St. Valentin is occupied since his childhood with this topic. He was grown closest to the former Nibelungen works and some of his family members were working in that factory. The author was able, based on some 1200 historic photographs from the town's and Stey-Daimler-Puch's Archives and private collections as well with documents, to finalise a chronical history of the Nibelungenwerk at war.

His book shall give the readers very deep views inside of constructing the factory and of its production. Starting with a part about the planning and constructing of the factory and residental aera it shows then the poor working conditions, the producing of armament materials (mainly tanks mark IV) and finally the air raids against the works and the end of the war in St. Valentin. Underlined is the story with many never published photographs and documents.

With this Source edition, which is far advanced, we will publish all relevant minutes, speaches, decisions and reports of the former Reich Minister for Armament and Ammuntition, Fritz Todt and Albert Speer, in several volumes. The famous minutes of Speers diskussions with Hitler, the so calles "Fuehrer-Protokolle", will be published completely for the first time and with marginal comments. The Data collecting is almost finished and all our other publications do already base on this information.

Publication dates not estimated yet - as translation is not decided...

Seeking for your assistance

At the end of that newsletter, we would like to inform you about a concern of us:

Historyfacts is working hard in assembling information and writing books - a most serious research is always our aim. For that we need documents, photographs, plans, maps, magazines, company's newspapers and so on.

Your are interested in our topics and some of you do collect historical materials, photographs and documents of the World War I and II era.

If you happen to are a collector yourself or you'd know somebody as described, we would ask you to arrange a contact - our heartful thanks for thinking about us!

Gallery "Bombers over Austria"

The Archive footnote.com publishes large amounts of data. During our research for Oberleitner's book "You up there - We down here" we browsed that database thoroughly and published some of the findings in the book. Following you will find some more pictures regarding the bombing raids against Austria. We shall publish more such information on other topics lateron. Larger pictures in printable quality (about 15 megapixels) can be ordered for a small fee. You may order directly with footnote.com, if you are aware of expenses and specially your time to be spent.

2)15th Air Force Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses leave a sky of vapor trails behin them as they fly to attack the railroad yards at Vienna, Austria, on 15 January 1945...

3)Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AF slice the sky with vapor trails as they head for the marschalling yard at Linz, Austria... (Picture 5.3.1945)

4)Flak spills through the vapor trails from Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th Air Force during the attack on the rail yards at Graz, Austria on 3 March 1945...

5)Vapor trails from Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th Air Force as the bombers headed for the railyards at Vienna, Austria, on 15 January 1945. Such attacks are supporting the Russian advance. 451st Bomb Group.

6)Lockheed P-38 Lightnings weave their vapor trails above a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the 15th Air Force as the Lightnings escort the Forts on a mission to Linz, Austria, on 8 Jah, 45...

7)A Consolidated B-24 of the 15th Air Force heads for the marschalling yards at Linz, Austria on 2 March 1945 through a sky filled with vapor trails...

8)Italian based Flying Fortresses of the 15th Air Force fill the sky over rugged Austrian terrain as the bombers go all-out to blast Hitler's inner fortess. 301st Bomb Group (picture 21.4.1945)

9)Bombs that hit the Vienna railyards on 15 January 1945, are ready to leave the bomb bay of the Consolidated B-24 Liberator as it starts its bomb run... 451st Bomb Group.

10)Coming back from punding the railroad yards at Linz, Austria, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (top) lost its formation in the murky weather. Sighting a formation of Consolidated B-24 Liberators, the Fortress pilot pulled his bomber next to the wing plane of the Liberator formation... 451st Bomb Group (Picture 13.2.1945)

11)Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th Air Force fly over the Alps entoute to smash railyarda at Vienna, Austria, on 15 January 1945... 451st Bomb Group.

12)These two Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 15th AF are part of a formation heading fot the south min marshalling yard at Linz, Austria, on 25 Feb.1945...

13)Bombing of Graz-Neudorf, Austria by Consolidated B-24 Liberators of the 15th AIf Force on 16 Oct 1944. Here one of the Liberators is seen over the smoking target.

14)A Consolidated B-24 Liberator Bomber of the 15th A.F. drops its bombs on the rail yards at Krems, 35 miles northwest of Vienna, Austria, on April 2 1945...

15)A Formation of Consolidated B-24s of Maj. Gen. Nathan F. Twining's U.S. Army 15th Air Force thunders over the railway yards at Salzburg, Austria... (picture 21.12.1944)

Newsletter 04-09e

Being a small publisher we start with the distribution of a newsletter.

Due to your earlier shopping of one of our products or due to an email contact your mail adress is known to us. For this time, we may send the first newsletter to all our clients. Should you prefer not to get further newsletters, you may just unsubscribe in the footnotes of this message or on our homepage. Please note to unsubscribe for each language you received a newsletter.

This newsletter is distributed in english and german for private persons and single customers. Another one is prepared for booksellers with additional information for trade. All will be distributed in loose sequence.

The aims of our Newsletter are:

We would like to keep you informed about our research, let you know timely regarding our new publications or give you general notices about our activities or changes within our organisation.

We want to keep you informed about interesting pictures and/or documents regarding our subjects, which may be entertaining or educating.

Your InfluenceShould you have ideas regading further topics or need information about us and our products, write us a mail! Thanks in advance for your interest.

ArchivesOlder Newsletter for private persons and single customers are published from time to time on our homepage. There you can check this information anytime you want.

Thank you for your participation!Peter Mueller

Research Panzerkampfwagen IV and its Variants

The basis for this new publication is drafted. Basically we start with the idea of three volumes:

The three Volumes will be developed more or less simultaneously, since the topics and the research results have an influence on each other.

The basic concept is identical to the two volumes Sturmgeschütz III: Volume 1 History / Volume 2: Visual Appearance.

Should the nearby question arise: No, we do not have yet a publication date! However you will be the first to be informed about this.

Your valued SupportShould you possess pictures, documents, files, reports regarding the Panzerkampfwagen IV and you would be willing to share such information with us (for research and/or publication), please mail us, thank you!

New Publications

It is a great advantage to announce the publication of the Sturmgeschütz-books in English!

The books will be distributed in North America by RZM Imports Inc. (www.rzm.com), in Europe by ourselves. Publication dates are planned as follows:

Volume I, History

Subscription period through 31.5.2009 (10% Discount) , shipping will start end of June – Please reserve your copy in our online-shop

Volume II, Visual Appearence

Subscription period through 31.8.2009 (10% Discount) , shipping will start end of September - Please reserve your copy in our online-shop.

Invitation to our readers

Müller History Facts is constantly interested in taking over stocks of documents and fotographs as well as collections of books regarding our research topics which may be a valuable addition to our souces.

Instead of just destroying such stocks or ship them to large Archives, where new items will just be stored for a couple of years before they eventually will be discovered for research: You may just ship your stock to our end for research and publication. In this case your stock will really be researched and the public will take advantage of it. You will allways have the decision regarding where your stock has to be stored after our research will be done. Should you have a stock to distribute, or know somebody in such a situation, we would be happy to get your information!

Gallery Messerschmitt Me 262

The Archive footnote.com publishes large amounts of data. Following you will find a part of the information regarding the Messerschmitt Me 262, the first deployed jet fighter of the Luftwaffe. We shall publish more such information lateron. Larger pictures in printable quality (about 15 megapixels) can be ordered for a small fee. You may order directly with footnote.com, if you are aware of expenses and specialy time to be spent.

4)A German Messerscnmitt 262A-1 jet-propelled fighter on the Rheinmain Airport near Frankfurt, Germany. This Plane was flown over our lines an surrendered to us by its pilot who was supposed to be testing it at the time of his dash over the lines. This is the first jet-propelled plane that has been captured intact. (Picture 19.4.1945)

5)Damage done to a Jet assembly Plant east of Obertraubling, Germany, by the 15th Air Force bombers. Here the tail assemblies [of Me 262 planes] are shown waiting to be assembled. (Picture 22.6.1945)

6)A Jet assembly Plant east of Obertraubling, Germany, bombed by the 15th Air Force bombers. [Me 262] Planes are shown in front of the Assembly plant. (Picture 22.6.1945)

7)In the Jet Assembly Plant in Obertraubling, Germany, are shown two Jet units, which give the jet their power and speed, damaged by the 15th Air Force bombers. (Picture 23.6.1945)